Nightmare Moon
by xT-Zealot
Summary: With Slade's defeat, the Teen Titans had thought they would hear of him no more. But with the strange events occuring in Jump City and the Titans' own personal doubts, are they really done, or do they still have some unfinished business? (RobStar)
1. Prologue: The First Round

**Author's Note: **Hello people! Welcome to my first collaboration fic! For those of you who don't know what a collaboration fic is, it's when two or more fanfiction authors get together and write a fic. But this is a bit different then what it sounds. One of the authors would write a chapter, and then the other author would write a chapter. So right now, this is a chapter that I wrote. The next chapter will be made by Pixie Ayanami, and then I'll write the next one. Well, hope you like this chapter and the other chapters that will come! Start reading!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shadows disappeared as light shined upon them, illuminating the interior of the warehouse. Cyborg's red eye and human eye stared forward, taking in what he saw.

There wasn't much, not enough to worry about.

The hybrid scanned the area, his built in flashlight on his shoulder helping him with his search as darkness shrunk away from light. There were crates that had plenty of dust on them and showed signs that termites had feasted. The rusted barrels also gave some evidence of how long life has not been present till now.

A green glow joined the white light of Cyborg's flashlight.

"I do not see anyone here," a soft voice spoke.

Cyborg turned around to see Starfire walking towards him. A green starbolt had formed in her hand, being used like a lantern to help her see. Her green eyes searched the warehouse, spotting the same crates and barrels her metal friend saw.

"That's because there isn't anyone here," replied another voice. "There never was anyone here."

One shadow did not fear the lights that were being generated. A blue hooded figure morphed from the shadow, causing her to appear in front of her friends. Her gaze landed on them as she spoke. "There is no sign of Plasmus."

"This isn't even a place where he would want to attack," said Cyborg, looking around again. "No toxic wastes or chemicals that he usually feeds off of. This warehouse is just full of old broken construction equipment. I saw a broken down bulldoze in a garage, but I don't think Plasmus will have a use for that."

"There is much dust here," noted Starfire. Curious, the Tamaranean floated up towards one of the crates. She blew on it and a cloud of dust floated from the crate...and immediately attacked her nose. "Achoo!"

Both Raven and Cyborg jumped as Starfire's sneeze ended up causing an explosion. They both whirled around to find Starfire wiping at her nose, with only blackened earth beneath her where the crate used to be that she had been inspecting.

"Sorry," apologized Starfire, smiling sheepishly.

_"Cyborg?" _a voice suddenly asked in alarm. "_What happened? Is everything okay?"_

Cyborg held up his arm to his face before activating the built in communicator in his arm. A tiny screen winked to life and the masked face of Robin suddenly appeared.

"Yeah everything's fine," replied Cyborg. "Starfire just had to sneeze."

Starfire reddened slightly in embarrassment, having heard him.

_"Any signs of Plasmus?" _Robin questioned.

"Nope, nothing here," replied Cyborg. "There aren't even signs that anyone has been here in quite some time. This place doesn't even have his favorite food. Only broken construction equipment. How about you and BB?"

_"Beastboy should be done searching over at his end. I haven't found anything over here."_

"Think this is a prank?"

_"Maybe..." _Robin paused. _"Keep your eyes open, I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this."_

"Alright."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shutting off his communicator, the leader of the Teen Titans couldn't help but look up at the sky. The sun had been setting when they got a call that Plasmus was heading to these old abandoned warehouses a few miles away from Jump City. Now, the only light came from the stars and full moon.

Having gotten an emergency call that Plasmus was heading to a factory, the Titans had immediately dispersed. However, when they arrived, the so called factory was just old busted up warehouses. Robin had gone over the location again and again, only to find that the factory should be here. He had sent Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire to search the warehouses while he and Beastboy kept watch outside.

And ever since then, he felt like someone was watching him.

It was like a ghost town. A small breeze blew and there were squeaks from old door hinges. Robin watched closely and didn't see anything else move. This place was devoid of life, besides the Titans that were searching.

So why did he feel the hairs on the back of his neck bristle?

Robin sighed and looked up at the sky. He blinked when he saw streaks of light dance across the night sky. Meteorites.

He didn't know there was a meteor shower tonight. He shrugged to himself.

Maybe he was being paranoid. Then again, good reasons for his paranoia would justify it. And he already found good reasons.

The distress call about the factory being nothing more then old warehouses. They were a few miles away from Jump City...alone. To Robin, the distress call was starting to look like bait on a hook.

And Robin couldn't help but think that they took the bait and were being reeled in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Are you in position?" _asked a feminine voice that had a touch of anticipation in it.

_"Yes," _replied a male voice, anticipation, or any emotion at all, devoid from it.

_"Then let's get started."_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A flap of wings caused Robin to turn. A bat seemed to materialize from the darkness and fly towards him. It wasn't an ordinary bat as Robin was easily able to see that the creature was green.

When only a few feet away, the bat lowered before landing on the ground in front of Robin. And suddenly that bat morphed into a, still green, human figure.

"Did you find anything Beastboy?" questioned Robin.

"I got nothing," replied the changeling. "I'm starting to think that distress call was just bogus."

The Boy Wonder nodded. "Yeah, I'm starting to think so too." Robin dug into his pocket and his communicator was soon in hand. "Cyborg?"

"_Yeah?"_

"We can't find anything out here."

"_Same goes for inside."_

"Alright. Get Starfire and Raven and meet us outside."

"_Okay."_

Robin shut off his communicator but still kept it in his hand, just in case. Not able to help himself, he took another look around. Still nothing, yet that feeling of being watched refused to disappear.

Sighing, he looked up at the sky.

And his communicator was suddenly back up to his mouth.

"Titans, move! Get out of there now!"

The meteorites in the night sky seemed to swerve...and now streaked towards the warehouses.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Get out of there now!"_

The three Titans in the warehouse froze, but were immediately on guard. Cyborg's arm quickly formed into his sonic cannon, starbolts appeared in Starfire's hands, and Raven only stood, a spell forming in her mind to be used.

Cyborg brought his other arm up and activated his communicator. "Robin what is it?"

_"You got incoming from above!"_

"What is it?"

_"Meteors!"_

At that, the three looked up. There were small holes in the ceiling caused by age and lights shined through them.

And the lights were getting brighter.

"Titans, move!" ordered Cyborg. His sonic cannon pointed towards a wall of the warehouse before firing, blasting a large hole in it. Not even pausing, he ran.

Darkness morphed under Raven's feet and she soon disappeared into the ground. Starfire blasted her own exit in the roof before immediately taking off. She couldn't help but freeze as she looked up at the sky.

The alien girl had seen meteor showers before on Earth. There had even been such things on her home planet. From afar the meteors looked beautiful.

But not when they were so close.

In the sky they looked like beautiful long streaks of light that joined the stars and moon to light up the night. But now, as they drew closer and closer, they were transforming into large fireballs.

With her amazement and fear gone, Starfire turned and flew forward, away from the warehouses. It was only a second before she heard the first meteor coming. It whistled through the air, and ended in a loud explosion. Not able to help it, she looked over her shoulder.

There was only a large crater that had been where she, Raven, and Cyborg had been a few seconds ago.

There were several more whistles as the rest of the meteors continued to fall. Around Starfire, the large rocks of fire collided into the ground, obliterating anything that was there. She gasped when a meteor crashed into a warehouse in front of her, a cloud of fire, dirt, and debris flying into the air.

Starfire closed her eyes, bringing her arms to her face before she flew through the destruction. There were small stings of pain as debris cut into her and she felt heat from the fire.

Then she was clear, flying out of the debris and continuing forward. Meteors continued to whistle and collide, bringing out destruction everywhere. Worried about her friends, Starfire looked around to see if her friends needed help.

She gasped.

Robin suddenly appeared from behind a warehouse. Starfire's mind whirled and came up with the conclusion that the leader of the Titans had came to make sure that they would get out okay. At first she was relieved.

Which turned into horror as a meteor crashed into the warehouse.

All she saw was Robin before he disappeared under a pile of debris.

"Robin!" Ignoring the meteors that continued falling, Starfire immediately streaked towards where she saw Robin.

There was a cloud of dirt, obscuring her view. A starbolt formed in Starfire's hand and she launched it at the cloud. Immediately, the dirt parted to give her a view.

A pile of debris was where Robin had stood.

Fear clutching her heart, Starfire landed in front of the pile. "Robin!" Immediately, the Tamaranean started digging through the rubble while tears gathered in her eyes.

Robin can't be dead. He couldn't be dead. Nothing could kill him.

Starfire suddenly gasped and her hands flew into her mouth. No!

A torn green glove covering a hand poked out of the rubble. It didn't move or twitch, not giving signs of life.

Tears now started flowing freely down Starfire's face as she saw it. Putting her hands to her face, she couldn't help but cry.

_This can not be happening! _thought Starfire as she sobbed. _Robin can not be dead!_

She couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it.

She was not going to believe that Robin was dead.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unknown to the Tamaranean girl, the meteors had stopped falling. They had left a wake of destruction. The warehouses had been destroyed and there was nothing left but craters and piles of debris. Flames were now part of the illumination of the night.

A figure appeared from one of the many plumes of black smoke. He didn't turn to survey the destruction. His gaze was only on one thing.

The sobbing girl that was in front of a pile of debris.

The figure walked towards her.

He knew what the alien girl was crying about. The death of her friend. He couldn't see the hand encased in the green glove, but he knew what Starfire was crying about. He pulled the nightmare out of her mind after all.

And only Starfire was able to see it. Anyone else who was looking at the same place would've seen nothing. That was the effect of his power.

He kept his eyes on the back of the sobbing girl. A hand dropped to his waist and he pulled something from his holster.

A blaster.

Starfire was too busy sobbing over her so called dead friend to notice him coming towards her. Taking a few more steps, the figure now stood only an arms length behind her.

He raised the blaster and pointed it at the back of her head.

"Starfire!"

The figure turned and suddenly cried out as something flew through the air and collided into the blaster, sending the weapon flying from the figure's hand. He turned to see who stopped him before turning around and running, picking up his fallen blaster before disappearing behind a plume of smoke.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starfire blinked, being snapped out of her moment of distress by a voice that shouted her name. A very familiar voice.

She heard a cry of surprise from behind her and she immediately turned around, just in time to see someone disappear behind some black smoke.

Confused, Starfire turned her tear stained face to the one who called out her name.

It was Robin.

Starfire gasped, confused and relieved at the same time. She turned back to where she had seen the green gloved hand.

And saw it gone.

"Starfire?"

Starfire felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see the masked face of Robin. Robin tilted his head to the side, looking at her questionally. "Starfire, what's wrong?"

Starfire didn't speak. Instead she threw her arms around his neck and burst into another wave of tears. Surprised, confused, and a little embarrassed, Robin paused before slowly hugging the Tamaranean girl back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Did you succeed?"_ the same feminine voice asked.

_"No," _replied the same anti-emotion male voice.

_"Oh well, no matter. This is only the first round after all."_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note: **Well that's about it for this chapter. Now it's Pixie's turn for her chapter, so I hope you enjoy hers!


	2. Chapter 1: Fear in the Heart

Disclaimer's Notes: And the second chapter is FINALLY done! I'm so sorry for the wait, people. The classes I take at school are very demanding, so however much time it takes xT to write a chapter, I can guarantee I'll take twice as much time or more to get mine up.

In any case, xT and I are not the owners of Teen Titans, despite how much we would love to be. I mean, I can just think of all the things I'd do like—

I'll stop myself there. ; In any case, please enjoy my addition of _Nightmare Moon_!

Warning(?): Light moments of unsure Robin/Starfire? Idunno. XD

---

**Nightmare Moon**

**Chapter 1: Fear in the Heart**

**By Pixie Ayanami**

---

By all the members of the Teen Titans Tower, the situation still was... odd. Random meteors falling from the sky? First of all, they weren't even in a forecast. It was totally erratic as well; the meteors not only came but swerved in their direction. That's impossible; no event in nature would ever do that. It was as if the space rocks were _aimed_ at them. That doesn't happen naturally... somehow, somewhere, some one was behind it.

Needless to say, the Titans could not sleep that night, too scared meteors would bombard their tower while they slept. Each of the five members handled the situation in their own way, but each were still equally scared. Starfire was especially nervous, as she just sat looking at the windows. It was surreal and frightening; it was as if her nightmare came true.

She did not understand it herself. One moment, her and Robin were staring at the sky, and the next moment she saw him lifeless underneath a pile of rubble. But then he stood right in front of her again, full of life and ready for anything. What was wrong with his situation? She sighed for the fifth time that moment, pondering this exact question with her eye brows crossed, fitting her emotion.

Robin, who has noticed Starfire's distress, stopped his pacing. He had been like that since they reached home, looking up his old files on things about surprise meteor showers, when they happened, how they occurred, and so on. He only managed to find a few documents, where astronomers were not sure why this happened, and could not find any reason for the situation either. He sighed, this was at a dead end for now. He took down the names of a few astronomers close by and made plans to visit them later on the subject. After he did this, he proceeded to the living room and paced around the room.

For now, he sat down next to Starfire, who hardly noticed him and continued to look at the night sky. For a while, Robin said nothing and just admired the sky with her. The smoke from the warehouse that was recently destroyed had long since died down, leaving only a few dark clouds floating in the purple sky. The stars were as brilliant as diamonds, twinkling brightly in the sky.

Raven had left a long time ago for her room to worry alone. Beast Boy was just finishing his tofu burger and Cyborg was watching the couple by the window. From personal experiences of his little love affair, he took a guess and felt that Starfire and Robin wanted or needed some time alone. Feigning a yawn, he said aloud, "Welp, I think I'm gonna be off to bed."

Beast Boy looked up at him, pieces of tofu lining his mouth, and said rather loudly, "Are you crazy?! What if those meteors attack again or something and we're left in a smoldering hole?!!" His over-exaggerated self obviously took over as he started shaking in his seat. Cyborg cleared his throat.

"I'm sure the worse has past for now. Just come on, I'm sure you could use some rest, too," he noted to Beast Boy. Looking up at the two at the window, he said, "Don't stay up, you two. It's not good for you."

"Yeah, sure," Robin said, not really paying attention to the half robot. Cyborg in response, dragged Beast Boy and his tofu burger out of the room.

It took a while for the two companions to say anything. Starfire merely wringed her hands together continuously, the same worried look placed on her face. He looked away. Robin usually had something clever to say at a time like this but... couldn't. There were times where the Titans had awaited before in the dark before, but Robin always had a clue of what was happening. _'Slade must have caused this,'_ or, _'This looks like the work of Plasmus.'_

The only lead he had now some guy he couldn't see clearly pointing a gun at his Starfire. Robin didn't know what he would have done if she... if something happened to her...

"I saw you lying there in the rubble," Starfire spoke up suddenly, her voice still shaken. Robin looked over to her again, disturbed from his thoughts by her voice. Her emerald eyes where filming over and glistening by the threat of tears. "Y-you weren't moving and I had thought th-that.... That..."

"Starfire, what are you talking about? I wasn't in any rubble at all, I managed to get away just in time," Robin said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Starfire looked downwards.

"Yes I know, but..." she said immediately afterwards. Starfire thought carefully, having trouble of what exactly she wanted to say.

"How could you see something that wasn't there?" Robin asked her, trying to make sense of the situation.

Starfire squeezed her eyes together and then looked up at him, "I do not understand myself, Robin! But I do know what I saw!" She stood up suddenly and walked over to the window. "Perhaps.... Perhaps there is something wrong with me," she proposed, "Like with you, and how you continued to see Slade's image, even though he was killed."

Robin softened. She had him there... Slade lined his mask with some sort of dust that infected Robin's system once he breathed it in. From there all he could see was Slade beating him in the dark... If something like this happened to Starfire, did that man pointing the gun have some responsibility for it? It was just more things he had to look into...

"Starfire, I..." once more Robin was at a lost of words, "You... you need to rest, Star." She looked at him questioningly. "There's nothing to worry about right now... It's late, and I don't think we'll be attacked again."

"But what if—"

"And if it makes you feel better, I'll stay up tonight and keep watch," Robin said. His cleverness had seemed to slowly come back to him.

Starfire looked back at him and cracked a small smile. "Thank you Robin..." she said, moving towards him to give the boy a hug. He held her tightly, knowing that she was still worried. She stepped away and began walking to her room.

"Hey, let's do something tomorrow," Robin suggested to the girl, "Like get a bite to eat.... I think we need a break from this hero stuff."

Starfire looked back at him. "But you never take a break from any hero stuff," she said, astonished.

Robin shrugged. "Well, even I need a break to free up my mind. So what do you say?" he asked her again. She smiled and nodded right away. "Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Robin."

Robin was all alone. After a few moments, he grabbed the remote and brought down the big screen T.V., as well as closed the shades of the windows. Placing the T.V. on a special setting, he sat down in a chair not to far away.

"Look up news broadcasts on astronomical events," Robin ordered. The "T.V." did what it was ordered to and in no time thousands of messages filed up on the screen. "Pinpoint ones around Jump City," Robin ordered again. New messages lined themselves up. "Look up the irregular activities." Several messages came up now.

He surfed along these files, jotting down the important facts in a notebook. Several names came up in the reports, one that did continuously. There were two observatories in (or around) Jump City. One of them was in the "care" of Chang, a supplier for criminals of Jump City. However, he was taken down and his observatory was condemned. The next one was clear on the other side of the city and was in the care of an astronomer named Dr. John Vants, the name that was frequently noted in reports.

"Dr. John Vants..." Robin said to himself, "I'll pay this Doctor a visit tomorrow." He stood up and stretched, shutting off the T.V. as he did so.

_'I think we need a break from this hero stuff.'_ Robin sighed. No matter what, he would always be the one being the hero.

"Ah, Cinderblock...." a voice called out into the dark room. The creature of concrete looked up suddenly at the familiar voice. His cell allowed only the little moonlight from the small barred window. He was chained to a beam in the center of the room, with clamps that secured him in place. Cinderblock could not move from his spot, as the restrictions on him had been intended for.

"Cinderblock, you have been a valuable asset to your former master," the sly voice said to him. It portrayed the silky manner of Slade's voice, but was much different, as it was not him. "But now to honor him, you must follow a new one. Come."

Even though Cinderblock could not speak, he understood perfectly well. With all of his might, the concrete giant started to pull himself free of restrictions. The chains began to snap and the restraints bent in place, freeing the giant. Apparently the authorities miscalculated the giant's strength and his will combined.

Cinderblock punched his way through the wall once he was free to join his new master. The figure was much shorter than Slade, and much different looking. A cunning smile shown up towards the concrete giant as the alarms around them flashed red colors. "Time to go, Cinderblock."

That next morning, Starfire woke up feeling both refreshed and tired. She put on a smile anyways, happy that Robin and she were going out that day. And then there was the fact that the tower was blown away by crashing meteors in her sleep, and they didn't all burn or become crushed under rubble. So on this morning, she did her usual morning routine, including taking a shower, dressing in her purple clothes, and preparing breakfast for everyone that would only end up being for herself.

No one was in the kitchen when she reached it, except for the light snores from the couch. Walking over to it, Starfire found the boy wonder curled up on the couch, sleeping off the fatigue he gained from staying up as he promised Starfire. She smiled and giggled at this, as she placed a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Time to wake up, Robin," Star said as she shook him lightly. Robin turned over in response and mumbled something about five more minutes. Star shook him a bit harder. "Come now, you said you would take me out today! You cannot do so if you lie on the couch all day."

Slowly, Robin sat up, blinking his eyes. "It's morning already? Ugh..." he groaned as he rubbed his back and stretched. Looking over to Starfire, he groggily stood up. Star was all ready.

"Let's go, let's go!" she bounced, grabbing his arm towards the doorway. There were sooooo many things that they could do or at least that she could think of that they could do during the day, that she was so excited to get going and—

"Hold on there, Star...." Robin said, pulling away, "I gotta.... Go use the bathroom...." He stifled a yawn and slowly went on his way to the said area.Star waited patiently for him to return. Robin took an aweful long while.... She sighed.

Robin finally came back out of the tile-like safe-hold, looking all sparkly and nice-looking. Why use safe-hold? He was worried on account of many things. In fact, while in the shower, he found a white hair. A white hair on Robin seemed... unreal. He recalled Starfire's reaction of a white hair. She said something about how it was the result of too much stress and sat in the middle of the living area crying. No one could do anything, and Robin didn't even really want to go near her, as he then put himself in his room. Raven ended up cheering her up. It was a women thing.

But Robin, the boy wonder who did anything and everything to solve a case, who stayed up long hours researching, calculating, plotting, as dark as it sounds, never once grew one a hair as such. It somewhat scared Robin... because the boy wonder should never have too much stress and take everything head on, right?

The bathroom he used as an excuse to retreat from Starfire for just a little while... He slept pretty well last night, but seeing her brought his anxieties back.

"Robin, it's nice to finally see you out of there," Star said with her sweet smile. "Now let's go, you said you would take me out."

Robin nodded. "I know, I know..." he scratched the back of his head in a moment of awkward silence, "um... Want some breakfast?"

Star nodded. And this is how the day began.

Throughout the day, Robin couldn't help but shake the feeling that the two of them were being... watched. He tried not to worry about it, but his anxiety continued to creep up on him, threatening an overwhelming. Finally at lunchtime, it happened.

Robin and Starfire decided to eat at the Pizza Place. Star, of course, tried to persuade Robin to put chocolate mints on the pizza, which he of course declined. When their pepperoni pizza did come and Robin was about to dig in, Star merely stared at him, catching his eye. "Robin how do you feel about all of this?" she asked suddenly. Robin was thrown off by the question.

"What do you mean, Star?" he asked back. She looked around uncertainly for a few moments and then looked back at the boy-wonder.

"This super hero stuff," she said, finding no better way to explain it. She sighed. "Every time we are called off for a mission or, you go ahead and do your detective work, I... I can but wonder if we really should be the ones to do this."

Robin's eyes widened. "What are you saying, Starfire, this is our obligation!" he countered. Not do detective work? Not be the hero? How could he act like that?

"But I can't help but think.... What if this is the time someone is killed? What if you are put in danger and I am not capable of saving you? These thoughts always protrude the back of my mind.... And now after last night.... They have surfaced," Star confessed. Robin could just stare. Starfire was thinking on a different plane from himself.

"Starfire, I—" he began to say, though there was really nothing much to say in response to that. Not only this, but a building was suddenly smashed down the street. Robin stood quickly up, seeing a familiar stony gray shape, walking menacingly down the street towards the couple. Robin narrowed his eyes.

"Cinderblock...."

_To be continued...._

---

Again, sorry that took so long! ; But now its done! If you didn't notice, I focused more around the insecurities Starfire and Robin lead through their story. Starfire for what she saw the night previously, and Robin for finally wondering if he's up to the job...... Poor boy. He may notice that fighting asteroids isn't as easy as fighting androids. B) Later in the story, the other Titan members will have a larger role... Idunno when though, you'll see. :D

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, its now xT's turn again to come up with something good as he usually does! :D :D :D

3 Pixie


	3. Chapter 2: Message

**Author's Note: **Well, I'm back up to bat. So...ah I don't know, I have nothing to say o.O Read and review fools!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin's mind, like it had done last night, whirled to life with questions as he saw the giant stone golem known as Cinderblock. One little detail stuck out the most.

Where there was Cinderblock, there was Slade.

A disturbing thought, but it was the one that was haunting Robin's mind at the moment. Despite how he had always hoped that Slade was no more, he could not deny that maybe there was a chance that Slade had something to do with this. Even when Slade was supposed to be gone for good, he still found a way to cause havoc. For example: some certain dust on a certain mask that had affected Robin.

The leader of the Teen Titans had almost been killed because of that. And maybe that had helped create Starfire's doubt about what they were doing...

Robin shook his head, an attempt to clear his mind.

He would have time to ponder over these thoughts later. They weren't going to help with the problem that he and Starfire now had. And that problem was stomping right towards them.

"How could he have escaped?" questioned Starfire, who was now hovering a few feet in the air next to Robin.

"I don't know," replied Robin. Last he heard, Cinderblock had been heavily locked up in a prison cell that had been made just for the walking stone giant. Someone must've miscalculated Cinderblock's strength...or freed him.

Either way, Cinderblock was out and about once again.

Though they were supposed to have had the day off, Robin still had his communicator, which was now in hand and up to his mouth. "Cyborg, are you there?"

There was a pause before a bit of an angry and loud response greeted him. _"You better have a good excuse for causing me to lose the game Robin!"_

The boy wonder thought he could hear cheering in the background that sounded like a certain changeling.

"Get down here and take your anger out on Cinderblock," replied Robin, glancing up at the still approaching Cinderblock.

_"...Well that changes everything. Be right there. Make sure to save some action for me!"_

By the time Robin had put away his communicator; Cinderblock had broken into a run and the distance between him and the two Titans was quickly cut in half.

And that was enough for the barrage of green starbolts to be launched by Starfire.

As the first projectiles struck, Cinderblock was quickly halted and even started to take a couple of steps back from the sudden assault. But soon, his large right hand came up and was held in front of him, as if to ward off the powerful blasts, and Cinderblock started to slowly stomp forward, his speed increasing with each step.

The onslaught suddenly came to a halt, but only so that Robin could smash his bo staff into the giant. Cinderblock stumbled from the blow. Before he could straighten himself, Starfire suddenly appeared hovering above him. A second later, Cinderblock suddenly fell hard to the ground as green beams of light shot from Starfire's eyes and blasted the golem to the ground.

It was starting to look like Cinderblock was going to be brought down easily.

That was until Cinderblock suddenly gained a burst of strength, quickly sitting up and raising his right sock solid fist to bat Starfire out of the air and cause her to slam onto the ground.

Starfire immediately sat up, holding a hand to her head. Turning, she saw that Cinderblock was now towering over her, his fists raised, intending to crush the alien girl.

And then several spinning discuses suddenly shot over Starfire's head and streaked towards Cinderblock. The discs collided against his stone body and exploded on impact, causing him to step away from Starfire while smoke covered his vision.

Robin's foot suddenly flew through the smoke and delivered a swift kick to Cinderblock's face.

The blow caused the stone giant to fall backwards and land on the ground with a loud thud. Despite the attack, however, Cinderblock still picked himself off the ground and once again stood on his powerful legs while staring forward.

Starfire was back on her feet, her green eyes glowing while starbolts formed in her hands. Next to her, Robin held his bo staff in front of him, with another discus held in his other hand, ready to use.

Cinderblock only took a moment to assess the Titans before charging forward.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While battling Cinderblock, the two Titans failed to notice a figure that was shadowed by the darkness of the alley. There was the sound of tapping keys as the figure typed on a keyboard.

The visor over the figure's eyes lit up for a second, allowing some light in the alley. Moving at the mouth of the alley, the figure watched the ensuing battle.

"Is this good?" the figure spoke in the microphone that was attached to the visor.

"Yes," replied a voice, one that was devoid of emotions. "Make sure to stay hidden and observe."

"Yeah yeah I know."

A little annoyed by his chosen assignment, the figure signed. However, he stayed where he was in the shadows of the alley.

Watching Cinderblock battle the two Titans made him want to join in and help. He didn't want to be hiding and observing, this was boring work. He wanted to fight, to get some action.

Despite that, he knew his orders.

Soon he will be able to fight. Then he would be able to get the action he now craved for, no more observing. And he was going to have a lot of fun.

Until then, all he was able to do now was observe the battle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another discus was thrown towards Cinderblock. But instead of another explosion when it hit, Cinderblock's left arm was suddenly encased in ice. A second discus was launched and Cinderblock's stone chest met the same fate. After half a dozen more, the stone giant was nothing more then a large icicle.

Robin knew, unfortunately, that the ice wouldn't hold him for long. A human would've easily been stopped by one of those discs. But Cinderblock wasn't human. It would give Robin and Starfire a small breather though, not to mention give Cyborg and the others some time.

"Why is Cinderblock attacking?" Starfire suddenly asked.

"I don't know," replied Robin, breathing slightly heavily.

But there was something Robin did know. Cinderblock must've been sent by someone.

This hadn't been some random attack. Cinderblock hadn't been walking around and suddenly decided to cause havoc. He had been looking for them. The giant hadn't destroyed something all the way at the edge of the city to cause Robin and Starfire to come to him, he had come to them. He somehow managed to travel to the, basically, heart of Jump City, right where the boy wonder and tameranean had been sitting and eating pizza.

The idea that Cinderblock came for revenge had crossed Robin's mind. But after all his experience fighting the golem, Robin basically thought of Cinderblock as someone who wouldn't seek revenge. Truthfully, the boy wonder thought of the golem as a mindless drone that only followed the orders that were given to him. Every time the Titans encountered Cinderblock, he was part of one of Slade's plans.

Though Robin didn't know if he should count the time when he was fighting a Slade that was afraid of the light.

The sound of ice being cracked pulled Robin out of his thoughts. Staring forward, he saw fissures breaking through the ice that surrounded Cinderblock. The ice that encased the giant's right arm shattered, causing pieces of frozen water to drop to the ground. Soon, the left arm was free, then his legs, and finally his head and chest were freed from the icy prison.

Robin and Starfire were immediately on guard as Cinderblock was freed. The golem grabbed a car with his right hand, and held the vehicle over his head as he prepared to throw it at the two Titans.

Until the car was suddenly wrenched from his grasp.

For a few seconds, Cinderblock just stood there, his right hand up in the air. Finally, he looked up to see what happened.

The car was no hovering several feet above Cinderblock. An aura of darkness had encased the car. Cinderblock tilted his head to the side, just as the car suddenly dropped and slammed into him.

The sudden force of the impact caused Cinderblock to bend slightly. And before he could straighten, the sound of very loud heavy feet that caused the earth to suddenly shake pounded against the road behind him. Cinderblock turned, saw a large green spiked tail of a stegosaurus, and was sent flying into the air.

"Booya!" a familiar voice shouted from above Cinderblock.

The stone giant looked up, saw Cyborg falling down towards him, and the hybrid's mechanical feet stomped against Cinderblock's stone chest. Now Cinderblock was being propelled back to the ground, Cyborg falling after him.

People from a mile away could've sworn they felt the ground vibrate slightly as Cinderblock fell back onto the round, causing fissures to break through the concrete.

Cyborg continued to fall towards Cinderblock, his arm transforming into the powerful sonic cannon. Power crackled around the weapon as it charged, the inside of the barrel glowing blue. When only about eighteen feet in the air, Cyborg pointed his weapon at the still downed Cinderblock and a blast of sonic energy shot down directly towards the stone giant.

Cinderblock didn't stand a chance. The giant practically disappeared in blue light as the attack hit. Cyborg didn't stop firing until he landed on the ground several feet away, his decent having been slowed by his mid-air attack.

Cinderblock just lied on the damaged concrete, unmoving, with smoke railing from his body.

"Oh yeah, I'm that good," Cinderblock said, grinning while he blew on the barrel of his sonic cannon like a cowboy would do in an Old West movie before it transformed back into his mechanical arm.

"I am overjoyed that you made it!" Starfire said happily, smiling at the three newly arrived Titans.

"Ah, glad we could help Star," replied Beastboy. He grinned. "I guess Cyborg should be thankful that Robin called, I was so beating him!"

Cyborg whirled on Beastboy. "Man, no you weren't! You just got lucky!"

"Dude, that wasn't luck! That was pure skill!"

Nearby, Raven just rolled her eyes at the two. "Can we just go home now?"

Starfire couldn't help but giggle at the scene. She turned to face Robin.

And found him gone.

Blinking, the alien girl scanned the area. A smile blossomed on her face when she found the leader of the Titans, who was standing over the defeated Cinderblock. Smile still on her face, she hovered over to him.

"Robin, we are victorious! Shall we continue..." She trailed off, her smile slowly disappearing.

Robin hadn't turned to face Starfire, only continued to look down at Cinderblock. Kneeling down, Robin pried open Cinderblock's left hand that was still closed into a fist. Starfire suddenly blinked, remembering that Cinderblock only used his left hand to bat her to the ground and try to crush her.

Starfire blinked again, suddenly seeing Robin stiffen as he opened Cinderblock hand. After another second of staring, the boy wonder bent down and picked up whatever it was in the giant's hand before standing up, continuing to stare at the thing.

Curious, Starfire hovered over to Robin. She looked over his shoulder to see what the item was.

It was a mask.

Starfire gasped, her green eyes widening.

Slade's mask.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin continued to look at the mask, with Starfire looking over his shoulder and staring with wide eyes at the mask. Neither of them moved. Ten seconds passed, and they still didn't move. They both stared, not even blinking.

Their chests didn't even rise and fall to signal breathing. Strangely, Robin's cape seemed to be suspended in mid-air, not even moving, just like the owner. It was the same with Starfire's long red hair.

It was like a breeze had blown both hair and cape. Then...gravity seemed to have disappeared completely, leaving them in the air.

And time suddenly seemed to go backwards at incredible speed.

Starfire suddenly hovered away from Robin, and the boy wonder placed Slade's mask back in Cinderblock's hand before closing it. In a few seconds, Cinderblock was suddenly up, holding a car above his head with his hand. A second later, he was encased in ice.

Time continued to go backwards. Robin's exploding discuses colliding into Cinderblock, then Starfire was on the ground with Cinderblock standing over her with his fists raised, and then the golem was on the ground while Starfire hovered over him while starbolts shot from her eyes and blasted Cinderblock. Back and back time went.

And with a sudden click of a button, time froze again with Starfire and Robin eating pizza.

The screen that was showing these events was the only lighting in the dark room.

In front of the screen was a figure sitting on a throne, their hand hovering over a key panel installed in one of the arms of the throne. The darkness that deprived the room of light also hid the figure in shadows.

Behind the figure, the door to the room opened and another figure stepped in.

Neither spoke. Silence filled the room with the darkness.

"I didn't expect Cinderblock to win," the figure on the throne suddenly spoke, her sly voice shattering the silence like glass. She pressed a button on the panel and time was back to normal on the screen, which now showed the two Titans look up from their food to see Cinderblock approaching them.

"I didn't think you did," replied the other figure, his voice lacking emotions.

Another click and time fast forward.

"So why did you send him?" he continued.

"To give them a message," she replied.

Another click and the screen froze, showing Robin looking at the copy of Slade's mask in Cinderblock hand. She tapped another button and time went backwards again.

"They don't know anything that's going on."

"When do we strike?" he asked.

"Soon, but not now. Give them time to think, to let them guess what they're up against."

Click, and Robin delivered a swift kick into Cinderblock's face.

"As you wish." Nodding his head at her, he turned and left the room.

Even when the door closed, she waited. After about a minute of silence, she tapped on the key panel one last time.

The screen froze with Robin standing straight, his bo staff held in front of him with one hand while a discus was held in the other.

"You will pay," she murmured, ice and venom creeping into her voice. "Soon, Robin, you will pay for what you did. Pay for what you did to him...and what you did to me."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note: **Before I end this chapter, I want to say that the whole finding Slade's mask thing was Pixie's idea, not mine . She just didn't want to delay her chapter so instead told me to write it up. So thank her for the idea! And speaking of which, it's her turn again!


	4. Chapter 3: The Star's Blood

Disclaimer: Woah, it actually DIDN'T take me 3 weeks to get this up! I wrote this chappy all in one sitting because I didn't want you guys to get bored waiting. This chappy gets very freaky... so... hold on to your hats, kiddies!

I do not own Teen Titans, unfortunately, though I DO own my characters of this story. :3

Warnings: Gore, violence, and swearing... but that's it I think...

---

**Nightmare Moon**

**Chapter 3: The Star's Blood**

**By Pixie Ayanami**

---

"Ok, ok...." Cyborg started off, rubbing his human temple with his mechanical hand, "Explain again what had happened in town today?"

Robin was reclining on the sofa with his feet propped up upon the small center table, head facing down. He was a bit tired, being that they just came from the battle two hours ago and obviously upset.

By time Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven arrived at the scene of the battle, the action was over, and Robin and Starfire were just staring at one spot. When the mechanical man tried to see what was wrong with the two, Robin merely stood quickly and pushed everyone out of his way, walking back to the tower. Starfire, gave a worried look and slowly flew after him.

"Man, what is with those two?! You'd think that the city was about to explode or something," Beast Boy complained, throwing his arms in the air. Raven turned to the cement body and sighed.

"With Cinderblock's attack," she said, recalling the creature's master, "You just never know what's going on."

Cyborg walked after Star and Robin. There was nothing really to say at this point.

And now he was here, putting Robin on trial for the facts. Moments before, Starfire gave a quick and rushed explanation that didn't seem complete. Cy would have to draw the whole thing out of Robin, who was being very stubborn at the moment. "C'mon man, I just want to help," he said, sitting down on the table.

Robin pouted, but after a moment or so, he pulled out an object from behind him and threw it on the table with one motion. Cy's robotic red eye analyzed the all too familiar object.

Slade's mask, the possession of someone they thought was gone for good.

"This ain't right...." Cy said immediately afterwards, standing up like it was some sort of virulent object, which it very might as well be.

"But it is," Robin spoke as he sat up. He slowly pieced fragments of information together in his mind. "It was a sign. A sign that Slade's not dead.... Just as I thought."

"You mean to tell me that you still kept that crazy superstition?" Cyborg asked, amazed. Robin nodded.

"Doesn't seem so crazy now does it?"

Cy was speechless. So Robin continued. "Don't you see? What happened last night; being called to an abandoned warehouse but finding nothing, having an unexpected meteor shower that randomly decided to aim at us, and now Cinderblock's escape from prison," he counted off from his fingers (purposely failing to mention Starfire's little vision), "it can't al be coincidence. Too uncommon, you know? And that mask I think-"

"All right, calm down, detective boy," Cy said, grabbing one of Robin's shoulders, "You know how your speculations with Slade affects you."

"Doesn't matter," Robin countered, standing up and shrugging him away. "Last night I did some research. The random meteor showers have occurred before, and the closest astronomer that recorded them is Dr. John Vants. I plan on paying him a visit later to—"

"Ooooh no you don't," Cy said again, "Don't get to worked up. You've had a long day and—"

"What you want me to just let this sit by?!" Robin asked his voice raising.

"I'm just saying that you get pretty reckless when it comes to Slade!" Cy retorted back.

"With good reason, too, otherwise you'd guys would let him take over Jump City!" Robin shouted, face immediately slipping into a regretful one. Cyborg merely looked at the boy wonder and shook his head. This was not what Robin thought at all. But if so then why did it come out? He couldn't believe what he had just said....

And neither could Raven and Beast Boy, who were eavesdropping from down the hall. Bother were speechless.

".....You do whatever the hell you want then," Cy then stated after a few moments of silence. He turned around towards the T.V. screen. "See if I care." Robin didn't move. He sighed and dropped his head so that his eyes were engulfed in shadow.

With that the boy wonder left.

Cy sighed and plopped down on the couch where Robin had previously been. After staring at the mask, he turned on the screen and flicked through the channels. Random images flashed by.

'Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi show—'

click

'The Grand Canyon is one of the—'

click click

'But Miguel I love—'

click click click click click

'Recently many renowned astronomers have been murdered—'

click click click

Wait a moment. Cyborg went backwards to that news station.

'—Authorities cannot find a reason as to why these attacks are happening, but the style has been the same in every one. Three stabs were found in every case; one in the chest, one in the throat, and the last in the cranium. The victims have been residents in all the towns relevantly close to Jump City. More details at 6......'

Cyborg's mouth laid open ajar as well as Beast Boy's from the other side of the room. Raven, who had also been watching, had her indifferent look plastered on her face. "Didn't Robin want to...." Cy began.

"Yes, he did," Raven finished for him, thinking that he wanted to say something about Robin wanting an interview with Dr. Vants. "He already left on his motorcycle."

"Well then we have to go after him!" came Beast Boy's response as he transformed into a cheetah. Raven grabbed his collar.

"We're not going anywhere yet," she then said. The two boys stared at her. "For all we know Robin's just blowing off steam right now and will be back in a bit. If he really needs us, he'll inform us on his communicator."

Cy glared and turned around. "Yeah, like he would want our help..."

Silently, Raven and Beast Boy agreed....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totally oblivious to these new facts, Robin drove around on his cycle well into nightfall. On the outskirts of Jump City, Robin was the only one on the roads. Hr was already heading towards the observatory where he would see Dr. Vants, guessing that as an astronomer, Vants would be more alive at nighttime than day.

As he thought, when he approached the building, a few lights were already on, signaling someone was up. Robin slowed down and parked his R-cycle to the side of the building, placing his helmet upon it, too, and headed over to the door. It was unlocked.

The first part Robin walked into was a sort of rectory, where a desk was placed and a few other chairs, almost like a sitting room. Robin passed through this and down the hall, which lead to many other rooms. But the boy wanted the large part, the dome, where Vants would most likely reside.

And once more he was correct.

A chuckle drew Robin's attention to the center of the room. "I've been expecting you to come since yesterday, young man," the old voice said, surprising Robin. Crouched in front of the ocular for the telescope was an old man with long gray hair and a curly looking beard. His eyes were a kind but tired jade, reflecting a life that was both regretful yet content.

Robin stepped closer. "So are you Dr. Vants?" he asked, eagerly wanting to go directly to the information he required. The old man didn't respond and merely continued to look through the ocular.

"Many beautiful things occur in space," the old man said, nodding his head. "Many beautiful, powerful events. Comets, meteor showers, supernovas, and more. We may think we know a lot of the universe, but we'll never know everything."

Robin didn't speak.

"I mean, it wasn't very long ago when the mere thought of aliens living side by side with humans was not accepted. My how things have changed..."

"Get to the point," Robin said, accidentally sounding a tad rude.

Vants sighed. "Ah Robin, you always were so hasty," the old man stated as he stood up, cracking the kinks out of his back. After a few breathers, Vants looked back at Robin. "I suppose you want to know about the meteor shower."

Robin didn't answer.

"It's happened time and time before, and it's not natural," the scientist explained, looking up towards the windows. It was a clear night, filled with stars. "As scientists, we can predict when any sort of event will occur. Volcanoes exploding, the clouds raining, earthquakes, anything and everything with the help of technology we know. But there are some things we can't predict, simple because it happens on impulse. If I can recall, a girl had the ability to create earthquakes and manipulate it in general...."

'_My name is...'_

"Terra?" Robin asked in disbelief. Even though she worked for Slade, the girl wasn't exactly famous. Vants smiled.

"Ah yes, her. I remember her well... Nice girl, she was."

"Wait... so you're meaning to tell me that someone made that the meteor shower happen?" Robin asked, bewildered. Vants nodded.

"Precisely."

"Who?"

"Little detective, I cannot say," Vants confessed, turning away and dropping his head. "All I can say is that everything is related."

'He must be thinking about the mask,' Robin thought to himself. By Vants' response, he wasn't about to tell anymore. Robin was done here.

"Thanks for your time, Doctor," Robin said, turning around and heading for the door.

"Robin," Vants called after him. Robin turned towards the doctor again. "It is impossible to know everything. If you try to you'll only end up getting hurt in the end. Remember this." Robin gave a curt nod before turning again. About five minutes after he left, Vants went back to his work. But the lights were slowly dimming.

The astronomer sighed. "I knew it would now be my turn," he said, looking up to the opening in the ceiling for which the telescope looked out of. Standing on the sill of it was a figure.

"I was told to tell you that Slade sends his highest regards to you, Doctor," the voice called down, "but you have not been and no longer are needed."

The figure blurred before Vants eyes after glowing purple. Not even a second afterwards did he feel an acute pain in the middle of his forehead, something sliding down from the spot like tears.

The last thing the doctor saw were the stars he loved so much.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin didn't like it. As he mounted his R-cycle, he couldn't help but feel like something was out of place. He started the cycle. How did the doctor know so much about Slade and his actions? It didn't add up....

Turning off his motorcycle, Robin stepped off and went back inside to ask this very question. It was cold and silent, even though the same lights were still on.

With the scene still the same, Robin didn't expect to see Vants on the ground with blood seeping from his forehead, throat, and chest. He had to cover his mouth just to keep the strong smell of blood invading his head.

Something clattered from above. A small orange disk with an "S" engraved in white on it. Robin's eyes widened. Looking up, he saw a figure vanish.

Vants was right. This is Slade's doing.

_To be continued...._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

I scared myself while writing this. ;.; I haven't been in the best mood lately, so I think my tiny depression might have kicked in for this chapter. Sorry guys.... Though I still think this came out pretty well. So much to unravel. See if you can! X3

Raven A. Star: Hey, you're just awesome! Thanks for being so positive in your responses, it's people like you that makes me really enjoy writing!

Lady Misao: I'm really glad you liked my details. Some say that I put too much of them in. .

Please review to make Kris and I happy! :D


	5. Chapter 4: Not Alone

**Author's Note: **Doo doo doo, another chapter done by the almighty...me! Muwahahaha! Well....read fools!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Robin had gone to, supposedly, blow off some steam, Cyborg had gone to do that as well. Having taken the T-Car, the hybrid had decided to cruise around Jump City.

Usually, a ride in his "baby" would help calm the nerves that hadn't been replaced by machinery. This time, however, those nerves weren't being easily calmed. The words had affected Cyborg, and he knew that the other Titans had been too. He also knew that Robin hadn't really meant it, but the words still hurt nonetheless.

Still, could Cyborg fully deny those words? If they hadn't had Robin, would this city have long been destroyed? Were they really that helpless without him?

"No, don't think like that," Cyborg suddenly said to himself, shaking his head. "We had to save his butt before."

It was true. Once, Robin had been at Slade's mercy because he had injected probes into Cyborg and the others and threatened to have them torn from the inside out if Robin didn't do whatever Slade wanted him to do. In the end, the Titans had came to his rescue, despite the probes. And together, they managed to defeat Slade once again.

And it proved that Robin couldn't handle things by himself. If he could, why bother be part of the team? Why bother even creating the Teen Titans? Despite how Robin felt that Slade was his responsibility, he was part of a team. There was no I in team...even though there was a me in it. But that's not the point.

Cyborg suddenly hit the brakes of the car and it screeched to a stop.

"No way!"

In that instant, all of the Titan's troubles were suddenly forgotten. A huge smile appeared on Cyborg's face as he stared at a poster on the window of a video game store. It couldn't be!

Arsenal 2 In Stock Now.

Finally, after a whole year since playing Arsenal, Cyborg could finally continue the story of the video game. Not able to help but cackle with glee, Cyborg drove into the parking lot, his troubles sent to the back of his mind where they would remain momentarily.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'An hour ago, Dr. John Vants had been found dead in his observatory. He is the seventh astronomer that had been murdered, his wounds matching that of the six other victims. Authorities believe that-'

Robin shut off the radio of his R-Cycle before that sentence could be finished. It didn't matter what the authorities believed, they practically knew nothing about Slade.

He had been there, right there. If only he had stayed, or at least went back inside a minute earlier, he would've encountered Vants's killer. If only...

Robin sighed. He couldn't worry about it now. He hadn't been there, he hadn't encountered the killer, and he hadn't saved Dr. John Vants.

All he had gotten were more questions and the little token that he had received from the killer. Unconsciously, Robin touched the orange circle with the white S.

Something wasn't right.

Despite all the evidence, something felt...wrong. Cinderblock, the mask, and now the symbol that Robin himself had once worn. All the evidence screamed Slade. But...that was the problem.

With his craving for knowledge, Robin had studied everything he could about Slade. He wanted to try to predict what Slade would do, be one step ahead of the villain. He wanted to learn Slade's motives. The problem was that he had never been able to easily understand. The disks he stole when he was Red X to fool Slade, was on example.

Though he wasn't completely sure if Slade wanted those disks as much as he was letting on, Robin did figure out one thing. Slade knew that he was Red X. And he had wanted Robin to steal the disks for another reason. He had wanted to test Robin.

And Robin had gotten full marks.

He had easily managed to steal the disks, despite the security. But he had done something else. When forced, Robin would combat the Titans. That had been what accomplished Slade's unspoken objective. When Robin wanted something done badly enough, he would turn on his team, his friends.

With the clues Slade had created to have Robin figure it out, and the Red X incident, he came to the conclusion that Robin would make a perfect apprentice. In the end, it was Robin that Slade had wanted.

Robin stopped his R-Cycle. These thoughts were clouding his mind; he couldn't think and drive at the moment. He sat there, his feet planted on the road to stop the cycle from tipping, the engine still running. The Titan suddenly sighed, dropping the kickstand before turning off the engine. The road in front of him was hidden in darkness as the headlight turned off.

Slipping off his helmet and placing it on the bike, Robin ran a hand through his hair to get rid of any helmet hair. The thought of the white hair crossed his mind, and he couldn't help that ripple of amusement that caused him to smile. Maybe he should take it easy with all this detective work, all the stress was getting to him. Shaking his head, Robin hopped off the R-Cycle before looking down from the hill that he had parked on top.

He suddenly blinked. He never actually realized how big Jump City was.

It was night and despite that, several lights in the houses and other buildings were still on. How many people populated the city? Hundreds? Thousands? How many had made homes within the walls of concrete and steel that covered these acres of land?

How could Robin protect all of them?

The boy wonder suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu. He had asked himself the exact same questions before. And, as he thought harder, Robin couldn't help but think that he was standing on the same hill that he stood on before. But when?

The realization hit him. When he had first came to Jump City...when he realized that he couldn't do this alone. It was then that he went to work on creating the Teen Titans.

The same answer hit him again as he stared at the Titans Tower.

Robin couldn't do this alone, he wasn't alone. The Titans, his friends, were there to help him. They were there to help get rid of any burdens that troubled him.

A great weight suddenly seemed to be lifted from Robin's shoulders. He suddenly felt more powerful. His thoughts became clear; energy flowed through him, bringing him out of his weary state.

A smile spread across Robin's face. He sat back on his R-Cycle while he placed his helmet onto his head. Everything suddenly came together.

Slade wasn't responsible for what was happening. Robin knew it, had known it. The clues were too obvious, Slade wasn't obvious. Now Robin needed to learn about this new enemy so that he and his team can defeat it together.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the year 2194, the United States government had proved the military's request to create a new weapon. In the year 2202, scientists had created parasitic life forms that were quickly put to use by setting them loose into civilian areas of other countries, where secret military installations were found. When military forces were sent and get rid of the infestation, the installations would already be destroyed, lessening any military threat that could endanger America. As attacks came and went, it wasn't long until the other countries became suspicious of the United States when it was the only country that hadn't been attacked.

To get rid of thee spreading rumors, the United States had unleashed the life forms on one of their military bases. The unsuspecting soldiers were consumed by the parasites. Waiting to test out their new weapon, the military had sent their super soldier named Arsenal, his mission to destroy the parasitic threat. Unfortunately, Arsenal ended up being overpowered by the life forms, who had learned and evolved from their brethren that had been previously sent to destroy and then exterminated.

Surprisingly, one solder named Sergeant Jacob Kelly did what the super soldier could not. By overloading the miniature nuclear core of the military base, the parasitic threat was put to an end.

But Cyborg knew better!

Barely able to stop himself from cackling, Cyborg took one of the two remaining boxes that held the game. Finally it was out! After a long and tiring year of playing Arsenal over and over again, watching trailers, looking at screenshots, reading articles, and even checking out rumors, finally the hybrid's dreams had come true! He looked at the cover of the rectangular box that held his precious.

It showed a large black armored figure, eight feet tall, lying on the ground of a room. The armor was cracked and pieces had been torn off, revealing burnt, bruised, and bleeding flesh. There were two cracked black metal wings, some thrusters under them. One large hand had been freed from its large metal gauntlet, the other hand being nothing more then a large chaingun.

Something was wrong with the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were organic. If it wasn't a picture, they would be pulsing as if they were alive. Some kind of small purple insect looking creatures were on the floor and slowly approached the downed armored figure. And behind the figure's visor, a red eye glowed from within.

Excitement rushed trough Cyborg as he couldn't help but hop a little in his place in line. It figures that an old lady would be in front of him. The senior citizen had her purse out, and Cyborg hid a groan when he saw that she was paying in cents. This was going to take a while.

"I didn't think that the Teen Titans even had time to play video games," a voice said behind the hybrid.

Cyborg's human eye blinked before he turned around to look at the speaker. Behind him was a sixteen year old teen, brandishing the final copy of Arsenal 2. He looked up at Cyborg with blue eyes, his hair having been dyed to match them. He hefted a somewhat large pack on his back, but he didn't seem to mind the weight.

"At least you go good taste," the teen continued noting the copy Cyborg had. "Luck too. All the other stores had been out of stock." He grinned. "At least I managed to get the last one, was going to call it quits after this."

Cyborg grinned, tossing his game on the air before catching it. "I'm just glad it finally came out. I've been waiting for the thing ever since I beat Arsenal."

"Yeah no kidding. It took me about six hours nonstop to beat it." The teen shrugged. "After playing video games for most of your life, you tend to be able to beat them easily."

Cyborg grinned. "Yeah I know what you mean, took me the same amount of time to beat it. What's your name?"

"The name's David." Amusement flicked in David's eyes as he smirked. "You must be Beastboy."

Cyborg couldn't help but chuckle lightly, already starting to like David. "Funny. So David, you thin Arsenal will make a reappearance?"

David shrugged and tapped his copy. "I think the cover answers that question. Probably got infected or something."

"Yeah most likely," agreed Cyborg. "Have you heard the rumor that Arsenal had a son?"

"Heard of it, but I don't really believe it. I think if they were going to make a super soldier, they would've made sure that the guy didn't have any relations."

"True. But there is that off chance that he met a woman and ended up getting an unexpected surprise."

"You have a point. Then again, how would they introduce him?"

"The parasites could attack a city or some populated place where he's living to infect more people."

"...Ah, I got nothing to beat that."

"Can I help you?" questioned a cashier, having taken an unmanned cash register. Cyborg took a step forward.

But David sped past him and was already there in a second. Grinning, he looked back at Cyborg. "Guess I win this."

Cyborg gave him a glare.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having traveled through the halls of the tower, letting her thoughts roam, Starfire suddenly stopped. Turning, she found herself facing the door that led to Robin's room.

Robin had come back to the tower about fifteen minutes ago and had immediately locked himself in his room. Since then, the alien girl had debated whether to speak with him or not. Usually, she would've made her choice before Robin had left and talk to him. However, Starfire had started to understand more about privacy.

But her talking had helped the Titans before, her comforting words putting them at ease. Still...

_"Slade ran right by you! How could you let him get away!?"_

Starfire's hand came up and touched her arm at the memory. During that incident, Robin had hurt her. His obsession of Slade had taken over him when he had seen what the other Titans couldn't see. He had said that he wouldn't let anyone stand in his way from stopping Slade, not even the Titans.

Starfire had been forced to hurt him.

She had been afraid at what would've happened if she hadn't. She had been afraid that Robin would've fought his friends like Slade had once forced him to do. But that time, Robin would've fought them at his own accord.

Despite the end of the incident, it still haunted Starfire. The first seeds of doubt had been planted into her innocent mind.

And the events that were now happening is the fertilizer that was causing the seeds to sprout.

The fear had been creeping up behind Starfire, the fear that Robin would fight them. And how he said those things about that the city would've been destroyed without him had been the fear's first strike on Starfire's defenses against her doubts.

The alien girl remembered when she first met the boy wonder. She had first arrived at Earth, not understanding the customs of the planet. Fortunately, she had been at the right place (on top of a library) at the right time (way past midnight).

Starfire had sat there, the loneliness she had experienced since coming to Earth still having a firm grip on her. Then, swooping in like the bird he was named after, Robin had stumbled onto her. That had been the beginning of a real beautiful relationship.

But that was before Slade.

He had once been a carefree teen, enjoying the good times with his team. Then Slade came into the picture.

Now, when the Titans enjoyed those good times, Robin wouldn't be there. Instead, he would be shut away in his room, trying fruitlessly to find the ways to end Slade...like he was now.

The silence of the hallway was broken as Starfire knocked on Robin's door. "Robin?"

When he didn't answer, the Tamaranean thought about leaving. She then dismissed the though. Robin had always been there to help her, and she wanted to be there to help him. So instead, she opened the door and walked in.

At first, Starfire frowned when she saw Slade's mask on the table in the center of the room and some newspaper articles hanging on the wall. Then, curiosity gnawed on her when she noticed that the only thing on the table was the mask. And there were only few articles on the walls...none of them about Slade.

Starfire's gaze swept through the room until it landed on Robin.

The leader of the Titans sat on a chair, his back to Starfire while he was bathed in light by the screen. The alien girl saw Robin fingering something, and as Starfire looked closer, she found that he was holding Slade's symbol in the palm of his hand.

Starfire opened her mouth, wanting to say something. No words came out. She opened her mouth again, and again words failed to pass through her lips. Finally, all she could do was sigh and turn back to the still open door.

"Slade isn't behind this."

Starfire froze, her eyes widening slightly when he spoke. She turned to see that Robin had looked away from the computer and his gaze was no on her.

"He...is not?" was what Starfire was only able to ask. Relief took hold of her. No Slade, no mean Robin.

"The clues are too obvious," explained Robin. He held up the symbol. "If he was back, he would've showed himself already instead of taunting us with these clues." He tossed the object away. "Someone else is doing this."

"Oh...okay."

A silence occupied the room and Starfire wrung her hands together.

"I want to apologize," Robin finally said.

Starfire blinked at that. Confused, she tilted her head to the side and stared at him questionally. "Apologize?"

"For the way I acted." Robin took a breath, and Starfire couldn't help but take a step closer. "I've been acting like a real jerk lately. It's just...I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Starfire remembered when Robin had apologized before. He had felt that he had responsibility for bringing down Slade, that he was the only one that could stop him. She couldn't blame him for thinking that. It was probably the same thing now, but he's just saying it differently.

"I do not want any harm to come to anyone either," she said. "But we protect each other Robin. We help one another so that none of us have to face their problems alone...what is so humorous?"

During her explanation, a smile had been creeping up on Robin's face. He shook his head at her question.

"It's just that everyone seems to know that but me. And I'm supposed to be the detective." Smiling, Robin turned back to his computer.

Starfire hovered over to him. "Is there anything that I can assist you with?"

"No," replied Robin. "Not now anyway. Right now I'm just going to try to discover our new enemy." He looked over at Starfire, the smile still on his face. "But I am going to need help bringing the guy down."

At that, a wide smile appeared on Starfire's face. When she left his room a minute later, she felt like everything was back to normal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as David was done purchasing the game, he had walked right out of the store. By that time, the slow paying old lady was done and Cyborg had been able to make his purchase. He had hoped to catch David before he left, but when the hybrid went outside, there was no sign of David.

Shrugging, Cyborg opened the door to his T-Car and sat down in the driver seat, placing his now bought game in the passenger seat. Starting the car, Cyborg wondered how his day could've gone from bad to good so quickly. First he had argued with Robin, and now he got the game that he had been waiting for a year to get.

But in the next second, the hybrid's day was going to go bad again.

Cyborg was heading down the street; his mind filled with thoughts about Arsenal 2, when something came crashing down, literally.

At first, all Cyborg saw through the windshield was the concrete road. And suddenly, black armored tree trunk like legs fell from above and crushed the front of the T-Car.

The rear wheels suddenly shot into the air from the impact, and Cyborg would've crashed through the windshield if he hadn't been wearing his seat belt. But there was an alternative that got him out of the car. Something tore off the hood of the T-Car, and Cyborg felt a large hand grab him before he was suddenly thrown out of the car, the seat belt not saving him this time as it snapped.

Cyborg spun in the air and fell hard on the concrete. He tumbled and came to a stop, lying on his back. The hybrid took a second to allow his mind to piece together what had just happened before he shot to his feet and whirled around to face whoever it was that just totaled his car.

Cyborg couldn't believe it even when he saw him.

His night vision allowed him to see the towering eight foot tall armored figure that was standing on the T-Car. Large black metal wings were attached to its back over a pair of thrusters. The figure turned to Cyborg, stepping off of the car so that the vehicle crashed back down onto the road.

The hybrid already saw the figure's left hand. The large hand wasn't encased in the black gauntlet, and Cyborg blinked in surprise when he saw it. The skin was hairless, but had the color and texture of badly healed scar tissue.

And when it turned, Cyborg was able to see its face.

The hairless skull had the same color and texture as the hand. Its mouth had been turned into mandibles, which now clicked. A pair of red orbs were in the eye sockets of this monster.

A monster that Cyborg had thought fake.

"Arsenal?"

The mandibles opened and the transformed super soldier roared a fierce cry. Arsenal's right hand, which was nothing more then a chaingun, was raised and pointed directly at Cyborg shocked form. The chaingun whirled to life, the barrels rotating.

And muzzle flashes now lit the night as the weapon fired.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: You know what was funny? When I was typing the chapter, Pix found out that there was a dude named Arsenal in the comics. But...we decided to call the Arsenal in this fic Arsenal anyway. This is to get rid of any confusion for those of you who know that fact o.o Anyway, now it's Pixie's turn!


End file.
